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Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite

Exhibitions
MAJOR EXHIBITION

Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite

OPENS
June 27, 2021
CLOSES
September 19, 2021
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About the Exhibition

In the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, Kwame Brathwaite (born Brooklyn, New York, 1938) used photography to popularize the political slogan “Black Is Beautiful.” This exhibition—the first ever dedicated to Brathwaite’s remarkable career—tells the story of a key figure of the second Harlem Renaissance. Inspired by the writings of activist and Black nationalist Marcus Garvey, Brathwaite, along with his older brother, Elombe Brath, founded the African Jazz Arts Society and Studios (AJASS) and the Grandassa Models. AJASS was a collective of artists, playwrights, designers, and dancers. Grandassa Models—the subject of much of this show’s contents—was a modeling collective for Black women, founded to challenge white beauty standards. From stunning studio portraits to behind-the-scenes images of Harlem’s artistic community, including Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln, this show offers a long-overdue exploration of Brathwaite’s life and work.

Educational Resource available! This resource is intended to inform educators about the exhibition Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite, so they are better able to lead students of all ages in meaningful discussions surrounding its content.

Credits

This exhibition is organized by Aperture, New York and Kwame S. Brathwaite.

The exhibition Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite and the
accompanying Aperture publication are made possible, in part, by generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Photographic Arts Council Los Angeles.

The Blanton’s presentation is organized by Claire Howard, Assistant Curator, Modern and Contemporary Art.

Generous support for this exhibition at the Blanton is provided by Michael Chesser, with additional support from Ellen and David Berman.

Image Gallery

Kwame Brathwaite, Self-portrait, African Jazz-Art Society & Studios (AJASS), Harlem, ca. 1964; from Kwame Brathwaite: Black Is Beautiful (Aperture, 2019)
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Past Virtual Events

Spotify Playlist

Enjoy this playlist which contains personal favorites of the photographer Kwame Brathwaite plus songs selected by Kwame S. Brathwaite, the photographer’s son and director of the Kwame Brathwaite Archive.

Shop

The accompanying publication for this exhibition is available for purchase via Aperture HERE.

A 50th Anniversary Edition of the 1970 Black is Beautiful poster designed by Robert A. Gumbs with photography by Kwame Brathwaite is available as a collaboration between the Kwame Brathwaite Archive and The Studio Museum in Harlem HERE.

Presenting Organizations

Skirball Cultural Center
Los Angeles
April 11 – September 1, 2019

Museum of the African Diaspora
San Francisco
December 4, 2019 – March 1, 2020

Columbia Museum of Art
Columbia, South Carolina
June 26 – September 6, 2020

Blanton Museum of Art
Austin, Texas
June 27 – September 19, 2021

Reynolda House Museum of American Art
Winston-Salem, NC
February 2 – May 8, 2022

The New-York Historical Society
New York, NY
August 19, 2022 –January 16, 2023

Feature Image Credit

Kwame Brathwaite, Sikolo Brathwaite wearing a headpiece designed by Carolee Prince, African Jazz-Art Society & Studios (AJASS), Harlem, circa 1968 (detail); from Kwame Brathwaite: Black Is Beautiful (Aperture, 2019), Courtesy the artist and Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles

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